The Five Times MM Met in the Drug LockUp
by mydoctortennant
Summary: Part of the No Emergency Exit Universe: What happened in the Drug Lock-Up...


bu**The Five Times That Morgana and Merlin Met in the Drug Lock-Up./**b/u

Merlin Emrys had always wanted to be a Surgeon. He'd headed to Cambridge with every intention me becoming one, but when his loan wouldn't stretch far enough and he had no other means to pay, he'd taken his medical knowledge and decided if could be a nurse at least and maybe one day he'd have the money to carry on.

His first working job as a nurse had come along quite quickly after he'd finished his studies. He'd been living with his then girlfriend, Freya, but when she'd accepted a job in Chicago and had expected him to go with him he'd taken his life into his own hands.

He said no. He wanted the job at Albion Hospital. He liked London. It was home.

His first day had been a hectic one. Trauma after critical after minor had rolled in. But they'd never left him alone. He'd shadowed another nurse by the name of Gwen for the first half of his shift - she was a lovely girl who welcomed him with open arms - and for the second half the rest of the staff were on hand to help him settle in.

When his shift had come to near its end he had been asked to get some gloves for Dr Pendragon - Arthur as Merlin had been told by Gwen on her hurried introductions - but there weren't any his size in the draw.

"Where can I find some more?" he'd asked one of the doctors he couldn't remember the name of.

"Drug lock-up."

"Right and where's that?"

"Behind you."

"Thanks," if turned on his heel and sure enough the caged room practically shone in front of him.

He swiped his entry card to unlock the door. That part was easy. Now to find where they kept the gloves. If couldn't afford to waste time. There was a critical patient rolling in.

He stuck his head out of the door and hailed the first white coat he saw; "Excuse me?"

"Yeah?" she smiled kindly and came towards him from where she'd been stood at the nurse's station.

"Could you tell me where the size 7 and a half gloves are?"

"Not trying to steal from us are you?" she said stony faced, the picture of seriousness.

"No, of course not," her face cracked into a bright smile and if realised she'd been teasing him, "My name's Merlin, I'm a nurse here."

"Started today?"

"And I've no idea where things are."

"Gloves are in the bottom draw," she explained as she squeezed past him into the small room. She reached down and pulled the draw open and snagged a new box me wrapped gloves and handed them to Merlin, "Here."

"Thanks," if accepted the box with a cheerful grin, "I didn't catch your name?"

"Morgana."

"Nice to meet you Morgana," He held his hand out between them in the doorway which she took with a smile, "and thanks for these," he waved the box by the side of his face

"Where is that new idiot of a nurse?"

"I think he means me."

"Don't let the prat get to you. He gets a bit stressed."

"Right, I better go. Thanks again."

x

In many ways Merlin thought if ought to count himself lucky. He'd been working in the hospital for two weeks before a patient died on his watch.

The patient in question had be an eighty year old lady by the name of Doris. She'd been dying from a late stage cancer for the last year and now her time was up. She'd fallen down in her bungalow and her carer had brought her in.

Doris had been left alone when Merlin came to check on her. She'd told him that Elaine, her carer, had had to dash off to collect her son from school and she'd be back within the hour. Within the hour though may not have been soon enough.

He sat with her reading her the book that her carer had been reading her, soothing her into a comfortable sleep. Merlin knew that Doris might not wake from her slumber. Her body had been fighting for so long but she had accepted that her time had come. There was little they could do for her now but she couldn't go home uncared for.

It wasn't like they were being rushed off their feet, and Arthur had some to rip him a new one about slacking. He was doing his job; he was caring for somebody who needed it. Sitting with her as she slept the negative feeling Merlin had in his stomach wouldn't leave him alone. He knew this was it.

The machines beeped out of time, elongated.

Being a DNR meant there was nothing more he could do. He clenched his jaw and flicked the switch to the off position, ceasing the noise.

Merlin pulled open the draw to find what they commonly called a 'death kit' amidst the staff. But there were none.

He exited the room and headed for the lock-up.

"Merlin?" Morgana called down the corridor on seeing him. Her brow furrowed when he kept walking, "Merlin?" she followed him into the drug lock-up, "Merlin, are you okay?" She asked him, leaning against the door way into the lock-up.

"I'm fine," he sniffed, reaching into one of the bottom draws and collecting a couple of the kits to top up the draw.

"No, you're not. What's wrong?"

"Mrs Jones died," he said directly, "And there was nothing I could do about it."

"I'm sorry, Merlin," she reached out and gently rubbed her hand on his shoulder. His back was to her but she could sense the glum expression on his face, "There wasn't anything more you could do for her. I'm sure she appreciated your company."

"She was such a lovely lady. Accepting of her fate."

"She knew that the chances of her leaving here again were slim. "

"I just didn't want her to be alone."

"And she wasn't."

"Is it this hard every time?" he asked her finally turning to face her, tear tracks on his cheeks.

"Not every time, but you learn not to take every case to heart. You can't save everybody," she smiled reassuringly at him, hand still on his arm. She pulled him into a quick hug, rubbing his back soothingly, "You'll be okay. You did a good job today."

"Then why do I feel so bad?"

"Because you care."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"It can be, but it's one of the nicest things about you."

x

Merlin had gone to the drug lock-up in order to refill one of the exam rooms' supplies. What he hadn't expected was to be cornered by an irate Morgana with what seemed like a rather large chip on her shoulder.

He'd opened the dressing cupboard and had only just managed to pull his hand out in time to her slamming in closed.

"You think you're better than everybody else, don't you."

Merlin blinked; "Excuse me?"

"You, you saunter around her with your childish charms and impish ways and just expect all of us to fall into place."

He raised an eyebrow, "Listen, Morgana. I don't know what I've done-"

"That's just it. You don't care about-"

"About what? What have I done to offend you?" He asked as she got in his face. He couldn't see any problem that he'd had with her. As far as he was concerned they were friends; good friends at that. He'd seen a lot of her since he'd started living with Gwen a few months ago and he thought they were getting off on the right foot. Apparently not.

"You…" she was breathing heavily, her cheeks pink in anger – though Merlin didn't know why – and her eyes wide and wild, "You…"

"I… I…?"

She let out a massively frustrated near-growl and suddenly reached forwards grabbing the front of his scrub shirt and pulling him towards her. He barely had a chance to react before she kissed him. He stood stunned, unable to move, eyes wide in shock. Before he'd even moved to kiss her back – like he had wanted to but didn't really know it before that precise moment in time – before she had disappeared out of the lock-up and down the corridor back to her work.

He stood blinking.

"I-"

A grin cracked over his face as he turned back to the cupboard and re-opened it.

"Merlin?" he turned to see Gwen appear at the door with her arms full of IVs ready to hook up to a number of patients; "Could you take a stock of size seven point oh tubes to Trauma one? Arthur needs them, thanks."

He didn't speak and nodded at her, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, great," she furrowed her brow at him and wandered off swearing she heard him whisper 'I knew it.'

x

Merlin ducked into the lock-up as he saw Morgana walking the other way down the corridor, hoping that it would cease any interaction they may have been forced to have. His cheeks burned with embarrassment.

He'd not been able to face her since last Monday. Luckily he'd swindled most of the opposite shifts to her but today was against him. Every trauma case they ended up on together.

Why he had offered to swap shifts with Gwen he had no idea. She was very good at convincing him.

He stood behind cracked open door and watched out through the gap. He couldn't' see her coming and he heaved a sigh of relief.

He gingerly pulled it open, unaware of the raven-haired figure that was leaning against the wall the other side of the door. As he closed it again he turned to head towards the nurses' desk and jumped out of his skin.

"You're avoiding me," she stated.

"No I'm not," he rejected all too quickly.

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"Are not."

"Are so," she scoffed at his childishness, "Look, I'm sorry if what happened has embarrassed you. I didn't mean for you to be."

"I'm not embarrassed."

"No? Then why won't you talk to me? Why did you walk the opposite way down the corridor when you saw me coming?"

"I didn't!"

"You did!"

He clenched his jaw before clearing his throat and looked at her. He studied her face and knew then that only the truth would suffice. He imagined she had Gwen's talent for reading his lies; Freya had had it too, "I don't know what to make of you, Morgana, in honest truth. You try calling me some sort of arsehole and you kiss me. Forgive me for being a little confused."

"Do you like me?" she asked bluntly.

"Of course I like you," he replied defensively a quizzical look on his face.

"Do you want to go for a drink with me?"

"Sorry?"

"Me. You. A pub. A drink."

"Uh-"

"You don't have to."

"No, I'd, I- I'd," he stumbled over his words and the tips of his ears turned picked and he looked to the floor. He fiddled with his watch, turning it around his wrist before he looked at her, "Sure."

"Friday?"

"Sure."

"Eight?"

"Sure."

"Anything else to say," he laughed nervously, pulled on his ear lobe and looked to the floor, suddenly an embarrassed teenager. Morgana smiled; "I'll see you on Friday."

x

Dead. That's what the Emergency Department was at current.

Merlin had filled in all his charts and handed them off to the right people in order for them to sign or fill in more. He sat behind the admit desk willing for some poor sod to come in with there hand hanging on by a fibre and blood spurting everywhere just to give them something to do.

"Loooong night," Morgana complained as she dumped her finished charts in the according basket and slumped against the side of the desk.

"Tell me about it. I've already refilled all supply cupboards in every exam room and draws, i_including_/i the ones in the Suture Room that i_everybody_/i forgets."

"Well done. I'm impressed," Morgana said with a raised eyebrow, "Not even Mrs Leggit could be bothered to make up another excuse to come in so she could throw supplies on the floor in order to watch you bend over."

"What, innocent old Cecilie?"

"i_Cecilie?"/i_ Merlin shrugged, "Well innocent old Cecilie isn't innocent at all. Dirty old woman wants in on my territory."

"So I'm you're territory?"

"If last night was anything to go by," she smirked. She casually looked down at him and cheekily waggled her eyebrows, "Didn't think we were going to make it to the bed," Merlin's jaw dropped; perfectly mimicking a goldfish. Morgana laughed, "Be glad we weren't at yours. Gwen wouldn't be impressed if she was woken up."

"Woken up by what?" an additional voice asked as she appeared at the desk looking equally as bored.

"Merlin," Morgana grinned wickedly and winked down at her 'boyfriend'.

Gwen looked between them with narrowed eyes, "I don't want to know," she held up her hands and turned to walk away, "I i_don't_/i want to know."

Morgana continued to cackle, highly amused.

"I'll have you know I can i_so_/i wait until we get back to yours tonight."

"Really?" she tested.

"Yes, really."

"Bet you a tenner."

"I bet you the best night of your life to date."

"Really? You're willing to stake that are you? 'Cause you know, I could just ask Leon. I hear he'd do it. Apparently he's a i_God_/i in the bedroom," she stood up and walked down towards the Doctor's lounge she had seem him disappear into not long before, "Actually, he might be p for that right now."

She took off at quite a speed that Merlin had an issue catching up with her. He managed to grab her jut as they passed the lock-up. He swiped his card with practised ease and pulled her into it. He forcibly pushed her up against the cupboards and kissed her.

"So much for home."

"It's not like there is anything to do here," he kissed her again with equal force to the previous kiss. His tongue met hers in a passionate kiss and he pushed her up against the wall of cupboards again. She winced as she caught her shoulder on one of the door handles.

Without question he stepped back from the cupboards and cleared the small table cabinet to their left whilst still kissing her. Automatically understanding where he was headed with his actions Morgana sat back against it and pulled him between her legs, hooking her feet behind his slender frame and pulling him as close as possible.

She slowly led back against the wood, taking Merlin with her.

With one hand Merlin traced a line across where her doctor's scrub had ridden up. A breathe hitched in her throat as a tickled jolt ran through her.

Something Merlin had missed fell from the cabinet top and smashed on the floor.

"Are you okay?" a female voice called through the door.

"Shit, Gwen," Morgana breathed, righting herself she managed to head butt Merlin to stepped back in shock, his head to his forehead and toppled backwards his hand going through the glass of another cabinet door.

"Ahh, fuck!"

"Merlin?" she opened the door and the pair were presented with a baffled looking Gwen, "Are you okay?" he was cradling his bleeding hand in his left, his face going pale at the sight of his own blood.

Morgana was on him an instant later with a large pad of gauze and applied pressure to the wound.

It was then that Gwen noted the state of the room; "I don't want to know," she repeated and crouched down to Merlin in order to help him, "Though Arthur might."

"You can't tell him," Merlin said defensively.

"Oh really? I think he'd want to know why he now has to replace the glass and a bunch of supplies."

"Gwen," Morgana gave her that warning look, "You won't tell Arthur. You don't even speak to him if you can help it."

"For this I can make an exception."

"I'll do i_anything_/i," Merlin pleaded.

"Do the washing up for a month."

"I'll even do the laundry."

"I don't trust you that much."

"Fine, deal."

"And tidy you room. Everything gets put i_away_/i."

"Just don't tell Arthur."

"Let's get you sorted out. So much for a boring shift."


End file.
